Blake came in and took the seat next to me. We’d filled out our schedules at registration together last spring so we could get in some of the same classes.

He tapped me on the arm. “Hey, how’s it going? I wish you could have gone to lunch with us yesterday.”

“Sorry, it was a hectic day.” Understatement.

He exhaled heavily.

“What?” I asked.

He rubbed his face briskly and then looked at me for a few ticks. He seemed to come to some kind of decision. “I—it’s just—I really need to tell you something, and there never seems to be a good time.”

I cleared my throat, feeling nervous. I didn’t want to have that conversation.

He checked his watch. “We still have five minutes. Let’s go outside and talk. Right now. We’ll get this all out on the table, and you’ll know exactly what’s been wrong with me lately.”

“Class is about to start and Dr. Feldman is a stickler for being on time. Why don’t we meet later—?”

He groaned his frustration, his mouth tightening as he glared at me.

“Don’t be that way. You’re acting like a baby.”

He closed his eyes and then popped them open. “Fine. You want to know what’s eating me? I’m in love with you, Elizabeth, and I have been since Oakmont. You know it. I know it. Hell, all of Whitman knows it. I’m sick of sitting back and watching you screw guys and never pick me. It’s a new year for both of us, and I want you to think about maybe … me and you … together.”

No. This wasn’t happening. I couldn’t take this. Not with the specter of Colby hanging over me. “Blake, we did this before—”

He held a hand up, interrupting me. “That was two years ago, and you gave me up for Colby.”

I stared at him, remembering all the times he’d picked me up for school when I didn’t have a ride, the times he’d sat in the diner where I waited tables just to keep me company.

I did love him in way, but it wasn’t a gut-wrenching, I-might-die-if-I-don’t-see-you kind of love. It was easy and soft, like a warm blanket on a winter’s night in front of the fire.

Could there be more with him?

He fiddled with his notebook, his eyes jumping to my face and then glancing back down. “The thing is, we are perfect for each other, you just don’t see it. I already know everything about you. Your favorite color, the kinds of books you like to read, the songs you love. I know you want to get a tattoo, but you can’t afford it. Hell, I even know you snore when you sleep—”

“Blake, stop, please. I can’t do this right now. We’re in the middle of class.”

Pressure, pressure.

“Why not? Because you’re afraid I’m right? You and I were meant to be from the very beginning, and you just got sidetracked by Colby.” Intensity laced his voice, making me squirm.

My rules had no room for a serious relationship—even with Blake. “Please—just let it go.”

He slumped down in his seat and shook his head angrily.

Thank goodness a sleepy-eyed Dax strolled into the auditorium right then, getting my attention. He was wearing skinny jeans, high-tops, a WU shirt, and an infectious grin that looked like trouble with a capital T. He gave Blake a fist bump and plopped down in the seat on the other side of me. Completely oblivious to the tension. Aren’t most guys?

He gave me a wide grin, and I had to smile back. His face brightened even more. “Hiya. I take it you’ve forgiven me for being sloshed on Friday night?”

I nodded. “Declan’s more than made up for your shortcomings.”

He grinned and shrugged, the movement reminding me of Declan. “Indeed, he’s the good one.”

More students piled in, including Declan, who stalked in wearing frayed jeans and a shirt that showcased his muscled chest to perfection. My eyes feasted on his forearms, tracing the lines of his skulls and roses. Last night, he’d held me tight as if he were afraid I’d slip away—yet he was the one who left without saying goodbye.

This morning I’d been partly relieved and disappointed he was gone, but that feeling had morphed into being pissed. And me being mad over him—made me madder.

I didn’t want to care that he’d left.

That didn’t stop the heat from settling in me when his gray eyes met mine.

He walked over to us, his gaze locked with mine the entire way.

“Hey.” I cleared my throat to get rid of the nervousness. “We’re being geeks and sitting up front. You wanna join us?”

He flicked his eyes from Dax to Blake on either side of me, almost as if he’d ask one of them to get up, but that was completely insane.

He shrugged broad shoulders. “I’ll just sit behind you guys.”

It was stadium style seating, so he had to take the stairs and then turn down the row behind us. He selected the seat behind me.

And even though we weren’t touching, I could feel him there, the warmth from his skin radiating across to mine.

Dax ran his eyes over the syllabus that had been left on the top of each desk. “I’m not quite sure how I ended up here. I must have had a hangover when I selected courses.” He checked out the female students who were coming in. “Although I have to admit, there are some hotties in here.”

“And you?” I turned around to look at Declan. “Do you like literature?”

“I’m an English major with a minor in business,” Declan said.